YEMEN
Ill children flown to Jordan
Children in critical need of medical care were on Monday evacuated from Sana’a in what the UN hopes will be the first of many “mercy flights.” Seven patients and their relatives flew out of Sana’a International Airport, which has been closed to commercial flights since 2016, to Amman, Jordan. “This is the first of what we hope will be a number of flights in the medical air bridge,” UN Resident Coordinator for Yemen Lise Grande said. “All of us feel today that this is a major breakthrough and an indication of hope out of Yemen.” More patients and their families would travel to Jordan and Egypt in coming days, she said.
Photo: AFP
GERMANY
Court rejects school veil ban
A court on Monday ruled against an attempt by authorities in Hamburg to forbid a 16-year-old schoolgirl from wearing a niqab during lessons. State law does not permit the authorities to impose such a ban, the court said. The teen has “a right to unconditional protection of her freedom of belief,” it added. The ruling, which cannot be appealed, has fueled debate over whether schools should allow the niqab, a facial veil that leaves only the wearer’s eyes visible.
UNITED STATES
S African HIV trial halted
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Monday said it was halting a trial in South Africa of an experimental HIV vaccine after it proved ineffective. The study began in 2016 and involved the only vaccine candidate ever shown to provide some protection against the virus that causes AIDS, in an earlier trial in Thailand in 2009. “An HIV vaccine is essential to end the global pandemic, and we hoped this vaccine candidate would work,” institute director Anthony Fauci said. “Regrettably, it does not.” About 5,400 HIV-negative volunteers aged 18 to 35 years old took part in the trial. They were randomly assigned to receive either the vaccine regimen or placebo injections over 18 months. The study found that 129 HIV infections occurred among the vaccine recipients, and 123 HIV infections occurred among the placebo recipients, and the trial was called off.
SPAIN
Emergency plane landing
An Air Canada flight bound for Toronto made an emergency landing in Madrid on Monday following technical problems just hours after taking off from the Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suarez Airport, officials said. The plane had an engine problem shortly after taking off and a tire also blew during takeoff, the airline said. The plane touched down “without incident,” Minister of Transport Jose Luis Abalos said on Twitter.
UNITED STATES
Anderson-Peters union off
Actress Pamela Anderson and movie mogul Jon Peters have called it quits just 12 days after tying the knot. The pair wed on Jan. 20 at a ceremony in Malibu reportedly attended by her two sons and his three daughters and ex-wife. “I have been moved by the warm reception to Jon’s and my union,” Anderson, 52, said in a statement. “We would be very grateful for your support as we take some time apart to re-evaluate what we want from life and from one another.” The wedding had not been formalized and the pair had decided to step back while mulling their next move, she said.
JAPAN
Cruise ship quarantined
The government yesterday quarantined a cruise ship carrying 3,711 people and was testing those onboard for the 2019 novel coronavirus after a former passenger was diagnosed with the illness in Hong Kong. Eight people on the Diamond Princess, which arrived at Yokohama Bay on Monday, have symptoms such as fever, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said. Television footage showed several quarantine officers boarding the vessel to check all 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew.
SOUTH KOREA
Tourist tests positive
A woman has tested positive for the 2019 novel coronavirus after visiting Thailand, officials said yesterday, the first foreign tourist reported to have been infected after a visit to the Southeast Asian nation. The 42-year-old, identified only as Patient 16, flew back to South Korea on Jan. 19 after traveling in Thailand, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement. Treated since developing chills and other symptoms from Jan. 25, the woman did not improve until Sunday and was confirmed positive yesterday.
MACAU
Casinos to be shuttered
The government yesterday said that it is to temporarily close all casinos as the gambling hub battles the 2019 novel coronavirus after announcing its 10th confirmed case. Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng (賀一誠) said that the gambling industry would initially shutter for two weeks, but warned the closures could be extended if the virus continues to spread. He said he would meet gaming industry representatives later yesterday and announce precise timings soon after. Health authorities yesterday announced two fresh infections, one a woman who worked in the gaming industry.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
‘DELUSIONAL’: Targeting the families of Hamas’ leaders would not push the group to change its position or to give up its demands for Palestinians, Ismail Haniyeh said Israeli aircraft on Wednesday killed three sons of Hamas’ top political leader in the Gaza Strip, striking high-stakes targets at a time when Israel is holding delicate ceasefire negotiations with the militant group. Hamas said four of the leader’s grandchildren were also killed. Ismail Haniyeh’s sons are among the highest-profile figures to be killed in the war so far. Israel said they were Hamas operatives, and Haniyeh accused Israel of acting in “the spirit of revenge and murder.” The deaths threatened to strain the internationally mediated ceasefire talks, which appeared to gain steam in recent days even as the sides remain far
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of